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Teach your dog to file their own nails

This article was written by Zoe Lim

Why did I teach my dog to do her own nails? 

I’m sure many pet owners understand the importance of keeping their pet’s nails at an appropriate length, but struggle when it comes to trimming their pet’s nails (myself included). We’ve tried trimming my dog, Tovsha’s nails using clippers but she struggles so much that it makes it difficult. We were able to grind her nails using a grinder with a lot of bribing with peanut butter, but it’s still a stressful time for both her and us. Going to the groomer or the vet was also not an option because Tovsha gets anxious in both places. So, I finally decided to teach her to file her own nails.

How does she file her nails? 

Now, you might be thinking, “How can she file her own nails?” Enter the scratchboard! I read that sandpaper can be used to file a dog’s nails, so I decided to make Tovsha a scratchboard. But how does the scratchboard work? Basically, the scratchboard acts as a large nail file. When Tovsha scratches on the board, her nails get filed down by the sandpaper.

How to make a scratchboard? 

The scratchboard was really easy to make. I used:

  • 1 piece of sandpaper (80 grit)
  • An old chopping board 
  • Masking tape 

Just tape down the two sides of the sandpaper onto the chopping board and the scratchboard is all ready.

Figure 1: Tovsha and her scratchboard

How did I teach my dog to use the scratchboard? 

Now that the scratchboard is ready, the next step would be teaching your dog how to use it. I’ll be sharing a few methods I used to teach my dog to use her scratchboard.

Method 1 – Teach the command ‘scratch’

Tovsha has a mat that she loves to scratch at, so I encouraged her to scratch on it by placing treats under it. When she started to scratch, I praised her and said ‘scratch’. Once she got the idea, I presented the scratchboard and got her to ‘scratch’. She offered one or two scratches but was not that motivated to continue. While this method didn’t really work for Tovsha, this method might work for you if your dog is innately motivated to scratch.

Method 2 – Using a spoon

Tovsha is not a scratch-motivated dog but she is a super food-motivated dog. So, I decided to incorporate food to increase her motivation to scratch. I placed a treat on the scratchboard and covered it using a small spoon. In trying to get to the treat, she would naturally begin to scratch at the scratchboard. This method was good at helping her get used to the feeling of the scratchboard. However, I noticed that sometimes she would scratch only at the spoon, and not directly on the scratchboard. Furthermore, as I had to hold onto the spoon, she would inevitably scratch my fingers and they were starting to hurt from her intense scratching!

Figure 2: Hiding treat under the spoon

Method 3 – Hiding food

The third method I used was hiding the food completely under the scratchboard. Because I only taped two sides of the sandpaper down, I could lift the other two sides to hide food between the chopping board and the sandpaper.

Figure 3: Hiding food under sandpaper

I would lift two sides (indicated with the orange arrow) and hide the food under the sandpaper. This method worked very well for us. Instead of just offering one or two scratches, Tovsha would scratch vigorously at the board, making it more effective in filing down her nails. After a few seconds, I would lift one side of the sandpaper to reveal the hidden treat.

Does a scratchboard really work? 

Well, you might be wondering if this method really works and the answer is… Yes! Below are some photographs of Tovsha’s nails before and after using the scratchboard. Of course, they are not super short but you can see some differences after just two sessions of scratchboarding.

(Left) Left paw; (Middle) Right Paw; (Right) Right Paw while standing

However, as you can also see from the photos, the scratchboard mainly files down the two nails in the middle and the nails are the sides do not get as much contact with the scratchboard. In order to overcome this, you can try tilting the board towards the left or right so the nails at the side will be in contact with the board.

Some points to note

  • If your dog is an avid scratcher, be sure to limit the time you allow him to scratch. It is still possible for your dog to ‘quick’ himself if he scratches too much. 
  • Check your dog’s paws and paw pads during each session to ensure that he is not hurting himself as the paw pads may contact the sandpaper during scratching. 

Like humans, dogs also have handedness. Tovsha tends to use her right paw to scratch more, which means her right nails get filed down more than her left. To get her to scratch with her left paw as well, I started to only reward her when she uses her left paw to scratch.

Conclusion

To end off, I would like to add that while this method is an alternative to nail trimming with clippers/grinders, do continue to condition your pets to traditional nail trimming. Scratchboarding can be used together with conditioning to ensure that your dog’s nails remain an appropriate length while waiting for her to get comfortable with clippers/grinders (this is what I have been doing).

Author’s note: I hope that this article has helped in giving you some ideas for nail maintenance if you are struggling with nail trims. If you have any questions, you can dm me @tovsha.thedog or put them down in the comments. Do know that you’re not in this alone!

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Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels

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Creator's Academy

Understanding Instagram’s Algorithm

If you’ve been on Instagram long enough, you’ll have heard that the best way to get ahead of the curve is to post at ‘peak hours’. Timings where traffic is highest so users will see your posts immediately a.k.a The Chronological Feed. Sadly, that no longer works. In a new update, Instagram rolled out the new Instagram Algorithm 2021, which is designed to decide what content you get to see when you open the app.

The algorithm at its core

Instagram’s new algorithm basically ensures that the posts and stories you see right away are the ones you want to see. Your followers all have their own habits and browsing routines, so the algorithm is summed up in four factors:

  1. Information about the post — Is that post a photo, a carousel, or a video? Where was it published from? How long is the video?
  2. Information about the poster —How interesting are you to them? How often do people engage with your content? 
  3. Browsing activity — Do they tend to watch a lot of videos? What type of content do they typically engage with? 
  4. Interaction history — Do they typically like or comment on your posts?

The algorithm in Instagram Stories is similar and more obvious — Stories of accounts you interact with most often get pushed to the front, regardless of whom posted most recently. However, since Stories are shorter and can be binge-watched, your followers are more likely to swipe to your content.

Interactions that affect the algorithm

When prioritising content for each of followers, the Instagram algorithm puts into consideration five forms of interaction that supplement the factors we just mentioned. These are:

  1. Time spent — Will they bother to spend time on the post?
  2. Likes — Will they like the post?
  3. Comments  — How likely are they to comment on the post?
  4. Saves — How likely are they to save the post?
  5. Taps on Profile — How likely are they to tap on the profile after seeing the post?

Do you want people to spend more time on your content?

The advent of the new algorithm provides us with the opportunity to explore video formats as well. If your followers are shown to like more dynamic content like videos and gifs, but you do not want to crowd your feed with too many types of posts, you can use Instagram Stories (which only lasts 24 hours but can be saved as highlights), or Instagram Reels (which has a longer duration limit and appears permanently on a separate tab).

Is this post likely to be liked or commented on?

If the content you are posting is supposed to drive engagement, it would be good to draw Insights from your followers as to what kind of posts do better on your profile. If polished, well taken photos of your pawpal get more likes and comments than your casual pictures of them, then you can consider steering your profile to a more polished feed.

Is this a post someone would save and come back to?

This is especially true for educational posts, like tips & tricks. Think about whether your post will leave your followers coming back to it for repeated views.  Loopable videos like Jade Taylor Ryan’s TikTok of her cat Ed dancing to Mr. Sandman are comfortable to watch over. And over. And over again.

Does this post include a CTA (for example, “Click the link in my bio”) that will prompt someone to tap on your profile?

If you have campaigns, promotions, or events happening on your profile, your posts should include a CTA so that your followers know there’s more in store when they go to your profile.

Now that you know…

It’s always important to remember that Instagram is always upgrading its algorithm. What works now may not work next year. So while this guide is still relevant, please take this opportunity to experiment with the content you are making and most importantly, to have fun with your pawpal while doing so

Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels

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Community Stories

Toilet Training Tips for New Puppy Owners

This article was written by Edlyn Cotaco of Instasize

Having a new puppy can be a really exciting time in your life. Whether you’ve wanted one for a while, or this is something you’ve done on a whim, you’re going to love your new puppy. She or he will keep you very busy and very active during the first year or so, as they learn and adapt to their new environment, so will you.

Having a puppy is said to be a lot like having a kid – you’re having to be the one to teach the pup all the things. This becomes more and more true, the younger the puppy. One of the biggest things that your new pup will learn is to use the toilet, initially (probably) indoors, before venturing out into the big wide world, with lots of things to smell and lots of things to pee on.

For now, though, you’ll want to acquaint your new puppy with where they are to pee in the house. Here are a few tips on how best to acquaint your pup with their ‘pee place’ and how to keep them going back there until such time as they venture outside and the outside world becomes their bathroom.

Be patient 

One of the best things you can be to your new puppy is patient. Like a toddler, they don’t know anything until you teach them. Accidents will happen, and you should be prepared for them and ensure that you don’t take those accidents out on your pup. Getting angry about the ruined carpet will not help your dog adapt. You must exercise extreme patience with your pup and let them know that it’s okay that the accident happened and you’re not mad. They can’t learn that way.

Know your dog’s bladder

Something to bear in mind is that smaller dogs have smaller bladders and higher metabolisms. If you make sure that you feed your puppy regularly, but don’t overfeed them – say, once in the morning, once in the afternoon and then perhaps again in the evening – this will train them over time to expect these meals, but not rely on them. It is also important that you take away their food between meals to not overeat and risk an accident. Generally, the smaller the dog, the less time you’ll have between them going to the toilet.

Don’t start too early

Ideally, you want to start toilet training your puppy between 12 and 16 weeks. Before this period, they won’t be able to process what’s happening and learn appropriately. Essentially, they won’t be able to learn.

Exercise is Important

One of the important aspects of puppy ablutions is the presence of regular exercise. Try and take your puppy out first thing in the morning and then once every half an hour. This will get their body and bowels moving to ensure that they have plenty of opportunities to use the bathroom. It will also create a memory pathway in the dog’s brain that outside = bathroom, which they will remember as they age. Eventually, they will learn where they go to (say, the front door), when they want to let you know that they need to go outside.

Repetition, repetition, repetition

The establishment of a routine is one of the most important parts of training any animal. This routine also extends to puppies and potty training. Make sure that your dog goes out for a walk and does its business at roughly the same time(s) in the day. If they’re going in the backyard, then ensure that they go in roughly the same spot. This will make poop-scooping easier and also establish a definite ‘bathroom area’, as the puppies’ sense of smell will guide them.

Make sure they’re properly groomed

Another all-too-important aspect of a well-potty-trained pup is also a well-groomed pup. Maybe you just got your new pup, and they have some matted fur around their nether regions. Be sure you take them to a professional dog groomer in order to get those mats taken care of. This is critical to the health of your pup and their ability to properly have bowel movements. 

Potty training puppies is a lot like potty training humans. It requires patience, persistence, repetition and time. Let your new pup explore the outside world as much as possible so that they’ll know that outdoors means bathroom time and don’t be too worried about accidents happening – clean-up is usually pretty quick and painless.

Image Credit: Pixabay

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Creator's Academy

Exploring Instagram’s Functions

Instagram has been constantly evolving since its debut in 2010. What used to be just a platform to share images has now become a network for conversations, content creation, and e-commerce. Let’s walk through some of the latest game-changers to the app this year.

Map Search

To make the app a hub for businesses, Instagram rolled out ‘Map Search’, a function found on the top right corner of the discovery tab. The map search function makes it convenient for users to find details and tagged posts of people in a particular area.Map Search also outlines popular stores, hotels, and restaurants. This feature will show the businesses’ working hours, price details, profile links, and related posts within that area. If used properly, it could be a treasure trove of hidden gems for you and your furkids to eat, play, or just hang out at!

Reels

Instagram Reels was introduced as a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on the platform. Users can make minute-long videos with an array of effects such including:

  • Audio – Use a song from the Instagram music library, or use your own original audio
  • AR Effects – Created by both Instagram and creators around the world, these effects can be stacked on a single reel
  • Timer and Countdown – The timer allows you to record your clips hands-free.
  • Align – Line up objects from previous clips to create seamless transitions.
  • Speed – Speed up or slow down part of the video or audio in your reel.

Remix Reels

Similar to TikTok’s Duet Feature, Remix Reels was added to Instagram to film split-screen reaction videos. This format is good for reaction videos, collab performances, and creative challenges

Image from Instagram

IG Stories

While not new, Instagram has continued to make its stories more relevant, innovative, and versatile. The function brings to the table the ability to send fleeting, casual content that only lasts 24 hours. Because Instagram Stories are more engagement-driven, they come with many tools like polls, questions, and quizzes.

Stories Captions

With the captions sticker, Instagram Stories are more accessible to everyone. The feature transcribes the things you say so that you can understand the clip even without audio.

Image from Instagram

“Add Yours” Sticker

“Add Yours” allows you to create a public thread in the form of a Stories sticker. Following a prompt or a topic, users on the Instagram Story will be prompted to respond with their own rendition of the topic. The stories of every user who reacted to the prompt are then stored as a collection, turning the sticker into a content chain really quickly. The “Add Yours” sticker is great for creating engagement well past your usual circle of followers due to how easy to spread it is, allowing you to find other like-minded furfriends.

Image from Instagram

Sharing links

Replacing the swipe-up feature in Instagram Stories is the Instagram Link Sticker. As the name suggests, you can add this sticker to your Stories to link people to an external website! This works especially well if you’re running a campaign on Instagram and want to direct your followers to a website!

Instagram Guides

Bringing blog posts to Instagram, Guides can be created using pre-published posts, places, or product listings from your or public accounts. This feature creates a dedicated post in your post that serves as a way to more easily share recommendations and tips with your followers.

Image from Instagram

Instagram Live 

Instagram Live brought streaming to its platform five years ago. We were able to share content in real-time and have a dialogue with their followers — one guest at a time. Creators could use Instagram Live to engage with their audience easily and with significantly less preparation required. This year, Instagram updated Instagram Live with Live Rooms.

Live room

A fairly simple update, Instagram Live Rooms allows hosts to include up to three guests. This small increase can open a world of possibilities for creators — collaborative classes, webinars, Ask Me Anything’s (AMAs), and live performances!

Image from Instagram

Featured photo by cottonbro from Pexels

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Creator's Academy

Boosting your posts on Instagram

Now that you have an Instagram Creator Account, you will have noticed a new button below your posts: “Boost Post”. What does it do? Can you really boost a post? We’ll give you a quick tour of this new function for your pet influencing journey.

What does it mean to boost posts?

When you boost a post on Instagram, you’re making it more visible to a targeted group of people on Instagram. By paying social media platforms, you can amplify your reach to your followers, a recommended audience, or a targeted audience. Your boosted post will then show up as a sponsored post on your audience’s feed.

How to boost your posts

1. Click the “Promote” button at the bottom of your post.

2. Pick a goal.

To boost your post, you need to first know what the boost does for it — that is your goal. Do you want more people to visit your profile? Do you want them to click a link to another website? Or do you want them to message you more? Whatever your goal is for the specific post you want to boost, make sure you choose the option that best aligns with it.

3. Choose an audience.

After choosing your goal, you can pick from three different targeting options: Special requirements, Automatic, and Create your own. 

Special Requirements lets you target based on very niche categories.

Automatic tells Instagram to target people who have similar demographics and browsing trends as your followers.

Create Your Own lets you target specific people, based on their age, location and interests.

4. Set your budget and duration.

Based on the budget and duration you set, Instagram will estimate the expected reach and clicks that your post will attract after you set your post’s budget and ad duration.

Expected reach refers to the estimated number of users who might see your post.

Budget refers to how much money you’re willing to spend to reach your target audience.

Duration refers to how long your boost will last. It can be as short as one day, and as long as one month.

5. Review

Check that your settings are all in order before confirming your boost!

Now that you know how to boost your posts, you can reach out to more audiences!

To find out more about pet influencing, click here.

Ready to kickstart your pet-fluencing journey? Join our community of pet influencers and explore opportunities here.

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Creator's Academy

Writing a good caption

Instagram is a platform that focuses on visuals, but to really make your post shine, it needs to be supported by a good caption. In four steps, we will guide you through the process of writing a good caption for your Instagram posts.

Step-by-Step

  1. The message
  2. Hook, line, and sinker
  3. Sensory words
  4. Strike a conversation

Step 1: The message

Think of the story you want to tell. Who are you telling it to? What is this post about? What is the point of this post? A picture can tell a thousand words, but why let it do all the talking? An Instagram caption can hold up to 2,200 characters (that’s anywhere between 310 words to 550 words). That means you don’t have to exhaust the limit, but you will have a lot of space to share how you feel.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
Poor Caption:Good Caption:
Maxie lying down next to me when I’m sickMaxie came to my side to nurse me, I feel better already!

Step 2: Hook, line, and sinker

First impressions count. Not just for your photo, but also for your captions. Instagram has a really nifty automatic function that truncates your captions if they’re too long — 125 characters (up to 20 words) to be exact. Your opening line needs to have a hook, something that makes your audience want to read more. In that regard, you can opt for a short sentence, then separate your caption with a line-break (the return key on your keyboard). Grab your audience’s attention in those first 125 characters to draw them in.

Photo by Zen Chung from Pexels
Poor Caption:Good Caption:
The interview at the cafe was a success and Snuffles told me I was just the man he was looking for. I will be starting work in his hooman cafe, run entirely by dogs, starting Monday.I’m going to work at a Hooman Cafe run by dogs! Snuffles said I was “just the man [he] was looking for”. 

Anyway, I’m starting Monday, thanks Snuffles!
Poor Caption (truncated):Good Caption (truncated):
The interview at the cafe was a success and Snuffles told me I was just the man he was looking for… moreDid a dog just hire me?… more

Step 3: Sensory words

If there’s one thing people underestimate about photos in social media, it’s that your audience really appreciates it when you describe your experience as vividly as possible. Eating something new and novel? Describe its flavours and complexities. Travelling to a new location? Describe its sceneries and moods. Utilise the senses of touch, taste, smell, sound, sight, emotion, and thought to convey your story.

You can also use emojis to your caption to add value and make it less wordy!

Photo by Dids from Pexels
Poor Caption:Good Caption:
She wants ice creamJust as the tiger stalks a deer, so too does Mocha’s eyes gleam on her prey…??

Step 4: Strike a conversation

When it comes to content creation, it pays to not just tell a story but also start a conversation with the audience. This is especially true for sponsorships, where you’d want to promote a product or brand.

Include a call-to-action (CTA)

A CTA is the simplest way to engage your audience. Having a CTA will direct them in the direction you want them to go. Be it to sign a petition, to visit a brand’s website, or to participate in some pet jobs. CTAs are also useful when there’s too much information to share, so redirecting them to another site would make things easier for you.

Credits and Hashtags

When doing sponsored posts (or simply reposts), remember to credit your sources and partners. For your sponsors, it generates traffic; for your sources, it’s good manners. It also costs nothing to credit and tag them, so it’s a win-win! Similarly, hashtags help to bring new audiences to your post through the explore function. Instagram has a limit of 30 hashtags per post, but if that makes your caption look too chunky, you can always put them in a separate comment.

Ask a question

It’s as simple as that. People are compelled to answer whenever they are posed with a question. This also becomes a prompt for conversations to happen in your comments.

Photo by Korina Stecenko from Pexels
Poor Caption:Good caption:
Cherub’s soft toy. Good for cats.How do your pawpals wind down on lazy Sundays? 

Granger likes to snuggle her favourite toy from @Cherub.


Visit their store for a 10% discount today ? 

#CherubToys #CatsOfInstagram

You don’t need to be a wordsmith to write good captions! Just remember these tips and you’ll be able to better engage your audiences. Stacey McLachlan also experimented with caption lengths to see how length affects engagement (so you don’t have to). You can click here to see how the experiment went.

To find out more about pet influencing, click here.

Ready to kickstart your pet-fluencing journey? Join our community of pet influencers and explore opportunities here.

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

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Community Stories

Christmas Gift Guide 2021 (US Edition)

This gift guide is reserved for our Pawrents in the U.S. If you’re residing in Singapore, click here.

Henlo everybody! It’s that time of the year again — Mariah Carey’s voice floods your radio, red-green tinsels fill the streets, and everyone has a Secret Santa or two to shop for. To make things easier for you, we’ve gone ahead and picked out a few gifts for your pawrent friends and their adorable pawpals.

Winter and Spring colours will go hand in hand

For a holly jolly aesthetic, Fetching Bowties by Larry has you covered. The Snowflake and Deer Bandana (From $8) offers a dashing red plaid design, coupled with a variety of snowflakes. Meanwhile, if you don’t have a christmas tree , yule want the Bring Home The Tree Bowtie ($12). This comical design will give your pawpal a smile you’ll pine for.

Fetching Bowties by Larry, “Snowflake and Deer” and “Bring Home The Tree”

The snow and lights of Christmas may come and go, but Levupets knows where class truly lies. The folks at Levupets have released collections upon collections of japanese-inspired bows, fit for pawpals with an ethereal elegance. Their Find The Cat Dog Bow Tie ($8) and Hana Stripe Bow Tie ($8) bring out a timeless look for all seasons. With over 30 unique designs, there is a bow tie for everyone. Enter the promo Code ‘ ‘ PJXMAS ” when you check out at Levupets to enjoy 10% off all their products!

Levupets, “Find The Cat” and “Hana Stripe” bow ties

Explore the Wilderness this season

If your pawpal is itching for adventure, why not bring them out for an unexpected journey for the holidays? Ruffwear presents lifestyle accessories designed for comfort and breathability when going out for runs or hiking trails.

Ruffwear Hi & Light Harness

Minimalist and low-profile, their Hi & Light™ harness ($39.95) comes in sizes for even the smallest doggos. It also has a leash attachment at the back so your dog does not feel any discomfort, even from tugging.

Ruffwear Quencher Cinch Top Packable Dog Bowl

Ruffwear’s Cinch Top Dog Bowl ($19.95) lets you carry food to-go without having to bring the whole box. Besides being collapsible to save space, the Cinch Top Dog Bowl uses a drawstring closure to keep their kibble closed on the move and open wide for mealtime.

Give your pawpals a (literal) treat

We want nothing but the best for our pawpals. Besides a good day out and a makeover, we also want them to enjoy a good feast with us on our merry holidays. Sometimes, the simplest solutions make the best gifts. That’s why the way to a pet’s heart is through their belly with hearty and healthy food.

Because, Animals Peanut Butter Noochies! Organic Dog Cookies

For an equally healthy holiday treat, Because, Animals has you covered. Containing a mix of ingredients such as peanut butter, bananas, coconut oil, and the nutritional yeast “nooch”, Peanut Butter Noochies Organic Dog Cookies ($12) is the healthy and yummy snack that your furry friends are sure to love for the holidays.

Because, Animals Omega & Probiotic Sprinkles for Cats

Because, Animals also has supplements for feline friends too. The Omega & Probiotic Sprinkles for Cats ($24) uses omega-rich seaweeds and organic fruit and vegetable powders to give your catto better digestion and immunity.

Pawrents, let your inner Santa out! May your furkids have a great Christmas to come!Furliz Navidad and happy holidays  

//  U・ᴥ・U  //  (=^･ω･^=) //

Photo by Lucie Liz from Pexels

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Community Stories

Christmas Gift Guide 2021 (SG Edition)

This gift guide is reserved for our Pawrents in Singapore. If you’re residing in the U.S., click here.

Henlo everybody! It’s that time of the year again — Mariah Carey’s voice floods your radio, red-green tinsels fill the streets, and everyone has a Secret Santa or two to shop for. To make things easier for you, we’ve gone ahead and picked out a few gifts for your pawrent friends and their adorable pawpals.

Share a feast with the furmily

Have you ever walked into a pet store looking for some pets and just leaving empty-handed cause they don’t feel right? Pooch Smooch Eats gets it. That’s why they started making treats they know pawpals will love. Made with 100% human-grade Australian beef, their Beef Heart Bites ($10) is rich in iron and zinc, great for oxygen transport!

Pooch Smooch Eats, “Beef Heart Bites”

Pooch Smooch Eats has just the snack for the young ones too! Your puppies and kittens can sink their teeth into some Turkey Small Bites ($14.30) or Pork Bites ($8.25). Not to mention they’re high in protein and low in fat, so your furbabies can grow up strong while enjoying something tasty.

Pooch Smooch Eats, “Pork Small Bites” and “Turkey Small Bites”

Pooch Smooch Eats is also offering 20% discount on all full priced items! Valid till year’s end (but why wait till then?) Simply enter the discount code “ PJXPS20OFF “ when you check out a minimum of 3 items!

The GRATEFUL PET Cooked Cage-Free Chicken and Cooked Salmon & Sardine

Made with 100% natural ingredients and supercharged with superfoods, The GRATEFUL PET offers subscriptions for a wide range of healthy food diets from Cooked Cage-Free Chicken ($38) to Cooked Salmon and Sardine ($43). The GRATEFUL PET ensures only super great food for super great dogs.

Let them play with their food

Don’t let your brokers get bored — if you’re getting yourselves new toys, they should too. The Sunday Pup offers a curated selection of accessories and toys you won’t find anywhere else. Their Pup Pizza ($32) is a snuggle mat that comes with removable slices and folds for your doggo to forage. The Pup Lemonade ($15.90) also has lemons that let you hide your dogs’ favourite treats!

The Sunday Pup, “Pup Pizza” and “Pup Lemonade”

The Sunday Pup has an exclusive 10% discount for orders above $15! Just enter “ PAWJOURRSUNDAY “ when you check out your first purchase. Give them a toy that’s right on the nose!

The Purrfect Pasttime

Furrplay understands how hard it is to keep your cat entertained. How about giving them a challenge for both their physical fitness and mental health? The Trixie Cat Brain Mover Strategy Game ($38) channels your feline’s energy and curiosity through its modules and drawers. Meanwhile, the Trixie Cat Activity Fun Board ($44) tests their dexterity manoeuvring through modules to obtain hidden treats.

Furrplay, “Trixie Cat Brain Mover Strategy Game” and “Trixie Cat Activity Fun Board“

The best homes are scratch-resistant

Cats are the masters of their own space, but one thing’s for sure, they love scratching stuff. If you’re going to give your felines something to drive their claws into, Threefurr might have something for you. Their Onigiri Cat House with Bed ($39) is a stretch-n-scratch built just for your felines. It even comes with a ‘cave’ with a cardboard scratcher interior, which creates a safe space for your furbabies.

Threefurr Onigiri Cat Scratcher

Pawrents, let your inner Santa out! May your furkids have a great Christmas to come!

Furliz Navidad and happy holidays 

//  U・ᴥ・U  //  (=^･ω･^=) //

Categories
Creator's Academy

Content creation pitfalls (and what you can do about them)

Content creation may seem easy at first — snap a photo of your precious furkids and share them with the world. So why aren’t you doing as well as other pawpals on Instagram? Here are some pitfalls you may have made and how you can work around them!

No.1: Feed spamming

We’ve emphasised it a few times in our previous article but we must emphasise — do not flood your Instagram feed with multiple photos. More than anything, you want your audience to remember you for quality content, not excessive content. Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, recommended posting 2-3 times a week, and no more than 1 post a day. If you want to share more pictures and videos of your furkid, you can always consider Instagram Stories.

No.2: Losing that personal touch

When making sponsored posts, it is easy to get lost in the products’ details. Yes, this new brand of pet food is made with high-quality ingredients. You sold the product, but you didn’t sell us the experience. How did your pawpal react to the product? Will they want it more now?  The photos you take and the captions you write must tell a story to engage your audience.

No.3: Making loooooooong captions

On top of being a place for short-form content, Instagram is also an app that puts a lot of emphasis on your pictures. Let your photos do most of the work (see above, “photos must tell a story”), and keep your captions short and easy to read. If you want to hold a follower’s attention, it should not be to read a wall of text. Remember, brevity is the soul of wit!

If you’re adding hashtags, it’s good to know that Instagram limits your posts to a maximum of 30 hashtags. It’s even better to know that using all 30 hashtags makes your post look cluttered. What we recommend is to throw all your hashtags into a single comment so that your caption is neat and emphasises the story itself.

No.4: Ignoring comments (completely)

Now that you’re making content, you’re sure to receive more comments on your posts! You may receive comments from people you may (or may not) know, so be sure to reply to them. This is the best time to engage with your audience, as it shows that communication is two-way, rather than just you sharing information top-down. A pawpal that replies and converses with their followers leaves a longer-lasting impression than a pawpal who only posts pictures and nothing more.

There are many other pitfalls we did not include, but these are probably the most important ones. With this, we hope that you’ll combine these with your insights to create more engaging content.

To find out more about pet influencing, click here.

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Creator's Academy

Sponsorships vs Exclusivity

Everybody knows what sponsorships are — at least vaguely. We last explored how to get your pet sponsored too. However, there is another category of partnerships. Exclusivity. How are they different? Is one better than the other? Lets know more about exclusivity and understand why it is an equally valid strategy for Pet Influencers.

Definitions

Exclusivity

Working with a brand for a set period of time. During this time, you are not allowed to promote any other brand. “Which brand” will depend on the contract — some exclusivities do allow you to work with other brands, so long as they are not in the same category, or competitors of the brand you are working with..

Because of that, exclusivities may be restrictive in its own way. When you’re promoting a brand as an exclusive ambassador, you won’t be able to promote other brands with us. If you have been offered an exclusive contract, do consider the benefits as well as the contract terms carefully before accepting.

Sponsorship

Promoting or a product, event, or activity to raise brand awareness for the client. Sponsorships are more flexible because of the requirements per sponsor — most tend to be a one-time project. Of course, brands would definitely want some commitment back. A good rule-of-thumb would be to avoid promoting similar products from other brands during your sponsorship.

Benefits

While exclusivity may restrict the number of offers you can take up at any one time, it’s not without its benefits. 

Sponsorships play at versatility. Because sponsorships tend to have a short campaign period, you can use the fast-paced premise of the jobs to get your name out to a wider audience much faster. Your followers and potential partners will see you on media and current events more often, which creates a lasting impression.Exclusivities however, are all about being selective. Having many sponsorships may get your pawpal seen in the early game, but over time you may have to balance your feed with more organic posts or risk losing authenticity. In the case of exclusivities, being selective and deliberate, signals to your potential partners that you are invested in their cause, not just their profits. Your words carry more weight because you chose to endorse these brands.

How to make the most out of each

Sponsorships : Form bonds, create long term connections

Sponsorships come and go really quickly. So one way to maximize your opportunities is to know not just your own audience, but also your partners’ usual audience. If you can engage them, your partners are more likely to  find you again to do more sponsorships.

Exclusivity : Think community-first, be wary of competitors

When speaking for your partner, always keep in mind how your audience will feel about you and the brand when you post something. Think about how your pawpal can stay true to themselves while still representing a brand. Take note of what your partner’s competitors are up to, and avoid working with them when your exclusivity ends.

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For more useful articles on pet influencing, click here.

Featured Photo by Ivan Babydov from Pexels